Saturday, December 22, 2012About Them Dawgs: David Andrews
By David Ching

Center David Andrews has had flashes of brilliance this season in filling the big shoes of former four-year starter Ben Jones as the anchor of Georgia's O-line.

Editor’s note: Each day between now and Georgia’s Capital One Bowl date with Nebraska, we will review the season for a key Bulldogs player and attempt to project what’s next. Today we’ll look at center David Andrews.

Role in 2012: Andrews took over for four-year starter Ben Jones and held his own at perhaps the most important position on the offensive line.

The good: The sophomore played here and there behind Jones as a true freshman in 2011, but he entered the 2012 season with essentially no experience at crunch time against SEC starters. But Andrews was one of the pleasant surprises for the Bulldogs, performing capably -- and exceptionally at times. The line was one of the team’s biggest question marks entering the season, but Andrews and company seem to be heading in the right direction.

The bad: Always reluctant to publicly give himself high marks in interviews, Andrews often focuses on what he should have done better. A bad snap here, a missed block there. He once remarked after missing a block against Florida Atlantic -- in which the Owls defender dragged Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray down by the face mask, drawing a 15-yard penalty -- that he “almost got Murray decapitated.” But it was largely a solid season for Georgia’s center.

Crystal ball: There were certainly times when he played like a first-year starter, but Andrews seems to have settled the questions as to whether he is big enough (6-foot-2, 295 pounds) to hold up against the monsters who reside at the center of SEC defensive lines. He seems to have solidified a spot on the line for the next two seasons, and if he continues to make steady progress Andrews might contend for all-conference honors before his time at Georgia is up.